Video content streaming services, such as Netflix™ and HBO Go™ streaming services, allow a user to decide what specific content items to watch and when. While this model has many advantages for the user, the content service provider (CSP) must support large outgoing network traffic. Although the network bandwidth has increased considerably in recent years, the demand for high quality content (e.g., 4K resolution and 60 frames per second) has also increased. The number of users per streaming service is also growing and new services tend to appear.
Internet service providers (ISPs) must also deal with the massive amount of streaming traffic. It is common for ISPs to perform traffic shaping on their infrastructure to delay video streaming in order to preserve bandwidth. The content service providers need to negotiate with ISPs to inhibit traffic shaping in order to maintain a quality experience for the user.
A need therefore exists for improved techniques and devices for the delivery of high quality video content, such as streaming content.